Le cinquième sceau

I really can't describe the joy of discovering this movie. A unique experience that combines art, meaning and an exceptional technique of cinematography. The depth on the characters build up, the unbeliavable script and the absolute rhytm makes this movie a total monument in what the art of cinema stands for. I really suggest you to watch this film. The feelings and the tense which brings to the viewer cannot be described. A true masterpiece from the titles of the beginning to the last scene!

Wow, I really enjoyed this film. What starts as a close and interesting character study escalates dramatically in the second and third segment. The question it presents is one anyone would struggle to answer, but one the characters are forced to answer. As per the time period tyrants, come and tyrants invariably fall, that is the one solace for poor Gyugyu.

The question might also be if the characters had not been asked the question the night before, would they have reacted the same way in the final scenes.

The other aspect of this film which I loved seeing is Budapest itself and the characters and life in its streets.

This film takes place in Budapest during the German occupation of Hungary toward the end of World War 2. As it so happens, four men are sitting at a table in a bar when a stranger hobbles in and asks to join them. After learning that the man was a soldier who was wounded during his service the talk subsequently takes a philosophical turn when a watchmaker named "Miklós Auricular" (Lajos Öze) tells a story and then asks a philosophical question which haunts each of these men the rest of the night. The question, essentially, is whether it would be better to live as a slave and endure severe abuse but have a clear conscience or to live as an abusive slave owner and have no conscience at all. Although they each reach various conclusions their beliefs and values are soon put to the test with surprising results. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a deep but rather dark film made even more interesting by the historical context involving the Russian offensive into Hungary. Also worth mentioning is the fact that this film won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival along with being nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1977. That being said, I thought it was a good movie overall and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

I don't know anything about Hungarian cinema except from Bela Tarr. This came to my attention by chance and these ecstatic reviews made me curious to watch it. I am glad i did. This is an amazing movie that makes you think a lot. This is pure Art and not pretentious or "artsy" at all. A movie with deep meanings. I can't say it amazed me from the start, but as it progressed, things fell into place and i realized that every word here had a purpose.

Last 40 minutes are heartbreaking and devastating. This monologue (y'all understand when you watch it) was bone chilling. It's true, every authoritarian regime has exactly the same goal: To make people losing their self respect. That's the key.

Some times, even "democracies" have the same goal. You can see it everywhere in the world right now.

There is really hard to find words to describe this MASTERPIECE! The top of hungarian movie making for sure! An absolute must to watch!